BREATHE RIGHT Discover the Importance of your Breath during Exercise | |  | Stop holding your breath in Warrior II! So many people practicing yoga have a very difficult time remembering to breath while perfecting each pose. Ironic isn’t it, since one of the eight limbs of yoga is Pranayama, the practice of breath? Most people practicing yoga are so fixated on getting a good workout and making the pose as hard as it can be that they forget to breathe; but breathing is very important for any form of exercise, and we're here to tell you why!
| | | Stop Holding your Breath Oxygen is vital for the proper functioning of all of our internal organs—particularly the brain and the heart. Not breathing properly during asana (yoga postures) or any type of physical activity can result in sluggishness, dizziness, and over long periods of time can contribute to bouts of depression. Our lungs need to be worked out when we breathe just like our thighs do during Utkatasana, or else they loose their ability to function as well as they should. We are not getting enough oxygen when we are standing still, let alone when we exercise—people in general do not breath deeply enough, plain and simple. We take short, shallow breaths because we are often in a hurry, stressed, emotional, and focused on our daily tasks instead of our present state of awareness with our breath.  Be Aware of your Breath Being aware of your breath is not time consuming; it’s not something else that you need to add to your To-Do list. Yoga, if taught properly, can do a beautiful job of teaching us how to slow down and connect our movements with our breath. It is also important that we breathe through our noses, not through our mouth as so many people do. Yogis believe that breathing through your nose improves the vitality of the mind, body, and spirit because of the function of the olfactory organ in the nose which absorbs energy from the air. The nose’s main functions are to use its small hairs to filter the air of dust and insects before the air reaches the lungs, and also to use it’s olfactory organs to warn us of the smell of poisons in the air. | Breathing Exercises: Pranayama Here are two different types of breathing styles for you to practice anytime of day to help you bring fresh oxygen to your blood stream, improve the digestive processes of your body, improve the health of your nervous system, and rejuvenate your glands. To learn more in depth about Pranayama, click here. Breathing Exercise #1: Nadhi Shodana - Sit in a comfortable crossed legged position, Sukhasana, in a quiet space. Take a moment to find your normal breathing rhythm.
- Raise your right hand up, palm facing you. Bend your first and middle finger down to your palm so that just your thumb, ring, and pinky fingers are sticking up.
- Take your right thumb to your right nostril and press in gently to close off that passage, inhale through your left nostril. At the end of your inhalation use your ring finger to close off your left nostril and exhale all the air out through your right nostril.
- Continue this pattern, inhale through the left nostril, exhale through the right nostril for five breath cycles, and then switch to the opposite. Inhale through your right nostril and exhale through your left nostril.
| Breathing Exercise #2: Deergha Swasam - Sitting comfortably in Sukhasana in a quiet space, find the rhythm of your breath. Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest, close your eyes if it is comfortable for you.
- Now inhale and imagine you are filling your lungs with air but building that air from the belly, up into the ribcage, and then into the chest. On your exhale, imagine you are going to release the air from your lungs in reverse; so exhale from your chest, down your rib cage, and then release all the air from your belly.
- Use your hands to help you feel the sensations of the breath. The hand on your belly should feel your stomach expand first on your inhale followed by your other hand feeling your chest expand. On the exhale, the hand on your chest should feel your chest release the air first, followed by your other hand feeling your belly contract in toward the spine as you exhale all of the air out.
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MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TIPS | | | | | Also Try... | | | | | | Article Written By: Megan Helgeson is a freelance writer on health and wellness, a yoga instructor, and a personal lifestyle trainer--helping you get the most out of life with home organization, time management, nutrition, positive intention, and goal setting. Contact Megan at mmhelgeson@gmail.com**Don’t forget to ask about Diva Yoga Parties in Orange County. | | |
